PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball led nearly start-to-finish in a historic 87-80 victory over No. 6 Gonzaga Wednesday at the Chiles Center. Five Pilots scored in double figures led by Joel Foxwell's 27 points as Portland secured the best win against a ranked opponent in school history.
It also marked the team's first win against a ranked opponent dating back to January 9, 2014 when the Pilots defeated No. 22 Gonzaga 82-73 in Portland.
Foxwell, the five-time West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week and league leader in assists, was electric all night and matched his season high in scoring while adding four rebounds and eight assists despite battling cramps over the final four minutes of regulation.
Sophomore center James O'Donnell tacked on 16 points off the bench and Cameron Williams helped out with 14 points before fouling out.
Senior center Jermaine Ballisager Webb also had a career night with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He was 4-fof-5 from the field, drilled a pair of three-pointers and went 3-of-3 at the foul line.
Portland out-rebounded Gonzaga 32-27, gained a 40-26 margin in paint scoring and trailed for just 32 seconds in the contest.
The Portland defense held Gonzaga to 40 percent shooting from the field, while the Pilots shot 59.3 percent overall. It is just the second time this season that the Bulldogs have shot a lower percentage than their opponent, which was the team's only other loss (vs. Michigan).
How It Happened
Portland jumped on the Bulldogs early racing to a 15-5 lead after seven straight points from Foxwell. Gonzaga's reserves came on and made a difference to retake the lead at 28-26, but it was short-lived as Portland scored the next six points culminating in a bucket from Ballisager Webb to take a 32-28 lead. The Pilots got a breakaway layup from Garrett Nuckolls and got four consecutive defensive stops to close the half with a 39-33 advantage. Portland did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 20 of its 39 points close to the basket.
Gonzaga opened the second half with five straight points to pull within one, but Ballisager Webb converted a four-point play and the Pilots slowly extended their lead. O'Donnell made consecutive buckets to give Portland a 59-48 lead and the margin grew to as much as 15 points in the final five minutes.
The Bulldogs didn't quit though and made it interesting down the stretch. Foxwell and Ballisager Webb were both nursing cramps, while Dante Censori Hercules was also hobbled as Gonzaga used a 7-0 run to pull within 82-77 with 42 seconds left. After exchanging some free throws, Gonzaga made it 84-80 before O'Donnell snuck out in transition for a thunderous dunk and the Pilots got a stop on defense to ice the game.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three point range, knocking down seven of 16 long range attempts.
» The Pilots held the Bulldogs to only 40 percent shooting from the field.
» Portland never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Portland recorded 22 total assists in the game.
» Five Portland players scored 10 or more points.
» Portland had a 32-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» Joel Foxwell matched his season-high with 27 points, the third time this year he hit that mark.
» Portland got a team-high nine rebounds from Jermaine Ballisager Webb.
» Portland defeated No. 8-ranked Oklahoma City 74-63 on Jan. 6, 1968 for the program's only other Top 10 win.
Up Next
Portland will look to carry the momentum into a big Saturday home doubleheader at Chiles Center. The Pilot women host in-state rival Oregon State at 2 p.m. followed by the men against Seattle U at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets.
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